If you have ever browsed the HR Certification Institute’s (HRCI) and the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) available certifications and determined to pass for time or financial reasons, you might want to revisit that idea. While you will not be required to get an HR certificate to go in human resources, it can be an important resource for some HR professionals’ careers.
Hopefully, we can help you think out of a Human Resource will be helpful for your career, and if so, which one you should get.
Immediately, there are two HR certification providers (HRCI and SHRM) in the market, offering a wide range of professional certifications for HR professionals. These are considered as the best HR certifications available in the industry. These HR certifications can be taken up by professionals as well as fresh graduates, depending on their level of experience and education.
HR Certifications
There are several kinds of certifications you can pursue. The HR Certification Institute (HRCI) offers a variety of experience-based certifications, beginning with those designed for recent high school or college graduates.
Many professionals try either the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) or Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification.
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) also offers two competency-based certifications. Professionals in their early- and mid-career pursue the SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), while senior-level practitioners typically earn the SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).
Other professional associations offer certifications in areas such as compensation and benefits management, talent development, and learning and performance.
The Benefits of HR Certification
In today’s competing job market and unemployment scenario, there are several reasons why a Human Resource certification matters. The serving is the reason why you should get certified in the field of Human Resources.
#1. Advance Your Career Path with HR Certification:
Certification can aid you in advancing your career in HR. The human resources career path usually begins with the HR assistant or generalist position.
Typically you do not need more than an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Moving to the next level in human resources, as a recruiting specialist or HR manager, often needs certification or an advanced degree. HR certification is typically required for advanced management positions.
Certification is valued by HR leadership and can propel you to a high level by showing your commitment to human resources.
#2. Candidate Marketability:
The HR professional with a PHR or SPHR certification is marketable. HR certification shows the candidate has at least two years of HR experience and happily passed a certification exam. Doors that may not otherwise be opened may open up if the employer requires its HR professionals to be certified.
Many companies use electronic screening of resumes and will immediately recognize the PHR or SPHR credential on a candidate’s resume and escalate that person to the top of the candidate list. Certification gives the HR professional seeking employment a clear advantage over an uncertified candidate.
#3. Benefits for Employers:
Hiring an employee with certification means that the employee has proven his commitment to the field. He has taken to improve his knowledge of human resources concepts, issues, and laws. The commitment to the area is further extended by completing continuing education courses to maintain the HR certification.
Having an HR certified employee means that he will be informed of the latest industry trends and new information in the human resources field. The certified employee is better equipped to manage difficult HR situations, which may lead to a quicker resolution of issues and delays of lawsuits.
Also, a certified professional may make better staffing decisions and assemble a strong team within HR, leading to less employee turnover, thereby saving the company money by hiring the right candidates and eliminating the waste of training ill-suited candidates.
#4. Increased Job Scenario:
Human resources management careers are currently rising as multitudes of companies that are recovering from the economic recession are hiring new employees. Higher demand for skilled human resources generalists, assistants, and managers is seen than ever before. It is required of these human resource professionals to staff these companies with the value-adding candidates. The growing competition for this job will allow certified HR professionals to stand out from the rest.
#5. Increased Hiring Preferences with HR Certification:
As per the statistics are given by the HR Certification Institute’s Value of Certification Survey, candidates with certification are favored by one out of every two engaging managers. For, they recognize that certified human resource professionals are well equipped with the competency and skill to perform their HR role.
#6. Better Salaries:
Getting certified in human resources will boost your earning potential. One of Payscale’s survey said that certified HR professionals earned an average pay of $66,383.
Though the exact pay ranges across diverse industries and locations, the bottom line is that the certification pays off!
#7. Smarter Working:
The human resource certifications provide you to efficiently handle your responsibilities, including interviewing, hiring, and retention. Most of the certification programs in HR reveal you with invaluable skills and knowledge in payroll, benefits management, union-management, hiring, and dispute resolution.
Since these HR Certifications are handled by experts, including human resource generalists, former hiring managers, and benefits managers, these give you an edge.
#8. Updated Knowledge:
The contemporary human resources field is very much advanced of the times when HR roles were restricted to administrative duties alone. Today, it is also the capacity of HRs to perform important additional tasks, including shaping key policies, high-level planning, consulting with executives to determine strategic direction, etc. The certification equips you to handle these tasks wisely.
Conclusion
An HR certification needs a real investment on your part, both in time and money, but it could be the help you need to take your career to the next level. But, don’t hurry into getting a certification right away. Carefully consider your career path and if certification will benefit you.
Make sure you take the time to select the right HR certification for you, and once you have put your sources into a certification stay certified by completing the necessary recertification credits. Maybe it is not a requirement for success in an HR career, but evidence shows it will be a smart move for your career.
